


Copernican Revolution

by MycroftexMachina



Series: Good Luck Charm [4]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 2017-2018 NHL Season, M/M, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 12:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MycroftexMachina/pseuds/MycroftexMachina
Summary: Willy loses Jasper.





	Copernican Revolution

**Author's Note:**

> This was not supposed to happen until the summer, but my Muse wouldn't shut up. I figured I better listen.

**Willy**

“What do you mean, you lost Jasper?” Zach asks incredulous for the third time, like Willy hadn’t been clear enough the other two. Willy prides himself in being very clear, especially when he speaks English. It comes from being bilingual. One doesn't want to be misunderstood.

Willy loves Zach, really, he does, and he’s the first one to be surprised about it, because William Nylander doesn't do love. Not usually. Not in the past. But Zach Hyman is in a class of his own and Willy isn’t particularly surprised that he loves him.

It doesn't mean that Willy’s blind to his boyfriend’s shortcomings. Like, sometimes he doesn’t quite get how exactly Zach Hyman managed to finish college. Unless, of course, the dumb act is a constant ploy to irritate and charm Willy in equal measure.

“First of all, I did not lose Jasper. I already told you that,” Willy sighs, _again_ , passing a hand through his already very ruffled hair, _again_. “He decided to go and explore and …”

“You can’t lose Jasper, Willy,” Zach interrupts him, completely ignoring Willy’s point.

Willy forgives him, because Zach is patently freaking out—not that Willy can really blame him, he’s freaking out, too.

Still, Willy would like it to for the records to reflect that his is a valid point, especially when it comes to the trial that the Leafs most certainly will subject him to, because there is no way in hell that he’s coming out of this shit storm unscathed. It’s unlikely they’re going to kill him—he’s fucking good at his job—but he can see a lot of bag skates in his future.

The point is: Willy did not lose Jasper. Jasper decided to be more adventurous than he should have and went off by his lonesome self. At night. In Newark, New Jersey. The night before a game against the Devils. Because nobody is on IR, Sosh got shipped off to St. Louis, the Matthews and the Marners still don't know about Jasper and Mitch made puppy eyes to everyone until Babs relented and stuffed Jasper in his carryon. Because that was, like, the most brilliant idea ever.

And now, all of a sudden, this is Willy’s fault.

When Willy explains things to Zach for the fourth time, Zach looks at him unimpressed.

“Mitch is going to kill you,” he says, seemingly resigned to playing the widower and wearing black for a year, or some shit like that.

“I can take Mitchy just fine,” Willy dismisses Zach’s concerns with a wave. “I am more worried about Babs, to be honest. Though I am sure Jasper will turn up soon.”

“We are in fucking Newark and it is past midnight, Willy,” Zach says getting up from his bed and starting to pace around like a headless chicken. “Jasper wasn't even supposed to come. But no, nobody is sick, nobody is injured,”— Zach echoes Willy’s thoughts, to which Willy mutters, “Thanks god for that!”—“and so Mitch and Auston _had_ to take him along. _And Babs let them_ ,” Hymie concludes semi-hysterically. “You were simply supposed to get him to take a leak for god’s sake! Jasper doesn’t know the place and he still hasn’t learned how to fly.”

“We are working on that!” Willy defends himself. “It just that he gets easily distracted when we are at the park or at the rink.”

He does, Willy thinks. Jasper loves the rink, and he loves the very secluded part of the park Brownie found for him, where he can explore to his heart content and practice flying—more like jumping, still, but they’re getting there. He does space out quite a bit, however. And so does Willy. That’s why they’re best friends.

“And you don’t?” Zach huffs, the dick.

“That’s so not the point, Hyms,” Willy says. “Are you going to come and help me look for him or are you going to sit here and recriminate about the whole thing?”

“I am going to withdraw sex for a month, that’s what I am going to do,” Zach grumbles, putting his shoes on.

Willy ignores him. Zach likes sex way too much to even begin to think about making the two of them celibate for even a night, let along a month.

“Where did you say you lost him?” Zach asks once they’re out of the hotel—thankfully they haven’t met anyone, though Willy knows they’re living on borrowed time. _He’s_ living on borrowed time, rather. Mitch is going to start asking about Jasper soon enough.

“I said he wandered off, not that I lost him, while we were walking by the back entrance of the hotel. Right next to the loading area—there were a bunch of laundry carts and what not and he dashed through them and disappeared.”

“Into the building or outside?” Zach asks as they hasten to reach the area Willy is describing. It’s just a two-minute walk. The hotel is huge, of course, but the back entrance is not far away from the street on which the main entrance of the hotel is located.

“I have no clue,” Willy admits. “I thought he’d gone in—you know how he can get when there is a new area to explore.”

Zach says nothing, which Willy wasn’t really expecting him to, since he knows Willy is right. Jasper has the soul of an explorer. Thankfully, this gets mostly contained because there isn’t much for Jasper to explore and he’s usually very good at following people’s instructions. Tonight, however, something must have either spooked him or attracted his attention, and off he went, mindless of Willy’s frantic calls.

“And he didn't listen to you,” Zach comments as they reach the point where Willy lost sight of Jasper. “That’s strange.”

“That’s why this doesn't count as ‘losing Jasper’,” Willy mumbles, looking around.

It’s a poorly lit area, surprisingly without security cameras, which is a plus for them, and the docking area is still open, although the carts have disappeared while Willy went to get Zach.

“I wonder what he saw,” Zach muses, looking around.

The street is a dead end, with enough room for trucks to pull in and out but not wide enough for them to make an U-turn. It’s a typical setup, nothing too complicated and it’s clean and well kept, a sign that people do not come here to sleep at night or do drugs. There are some cigarette butts and some trash, but nothing major. Willy suspects the area is cleaned pretty regularly. The bottom line is that there is nothing here that could have held Jasper’s attention for more than five seconds.

“You take the left, I take the right and we meet at the end,” Zach orders Willy. Willy is worried enough that he complies without bitching about it.

They do a first sweep, calling Jasper softly, and then a second, this time raising their voices. During the third, Willy pulls out his phone and downloads a torch app, because he was really not seeing much to begin with. Zach, the fucker, has already one on his phone, and he starts using it, too. They exchange positions to make sure they did not miss anything and they look carefully for Jasper for what it feels like a decade. In the meantime, Willy has started making a mental list of the teams he’d rather not be traded to—the Habs figure prominently—just in case. It does pay to be prepared for the worst possible scenario. He might as well have a plan, it’s all he’s saying.

Willy is about ready to give up and call in reinforcement—read ‘Sign his death warrant’—when a quick movement below the loading deck, near an alcove he thought he’s explored thoroughly, attracts his attention. There is no noise, but there is definitely something there. Zach is at the other end of the street, so Willy resigns himself to throwing away his pants and kneels to take a closer look.

At a first pass, Willy sees absolutely nothing, and wonders, for all of a second, if it was a passing rat. Then, he turns on the torch on again and uses it to scan the area more carefully, taking his time and making sure he examines all its nooks and crannies.

“Fuck,” Willy says, once he finally locates what he’s looking for. That’s not good. Like, absolutely not good, because that’s red and Jasper is not red, at least not as far as Willy remembers. Also, he didn't drink at dinner, so he’s not seeing things.

“Zach,” Willy says, turning halfway towards the street. “Hyms, come here.”

Zach runs back to Willy and, after some maneuvering, sits besides him on the concrete pavement.

“Fuck,” Zach echoes, once he locates what Willy has found.

Jasper looks back at them for a second, before turning his attention to the little yellow mass around which his body is tightly curled. Or is it a yellow mess? Willy is not sure, to be honest. The red suggests mess, rather than mass, though it could be sometime completely innocent and not, like, blood, which was Willy’s first thought.

“Jasper?” Zach says softly, trying to get the little dragon’s attention.

Jasper ignores him, which really freaks Willy out, because Jasper never ignores Zach. Jasper’s a teacher pet and he wants Zach and Babs to think he’s the best student, and living being, they’ve ever had the pleasure to teach—period.

“Jasper, bud,” Zach repeats, trying to get a bit closer. “It’s us. It’s Willy and Zach. Are you okay?”

Jasper growls at him, actually _growls_ , and curls around the yellow thing even more tightly, using his tail to hide it completely from Willy and Zach’s view.

“Jasper,” Willy says, horrified. “You know we’re not going to hurt you, right? What’s wrong, buddy?”

Jasper looks back at Willy, and there is so much heartbreak in his eyes that Willy wants to curl up in a little ball and cry.

“Oh, Jasper,” Willy whispers. “What happened, sweetheart? Are you hurt?”

Jasper looks ever worst, probably because none of them uses terms of endearment with him, but he knows what they are. Also, Willy cannot help but wonder if the growling is nothing more than instinct and Jasper is feeling bad about that, too.

“We’re here to help, buddy, don’t you worry,” Zach promises, clearly attempting to ignore the fact that Jasper is not being his usually cuddly self.

Jasper growls again and then goes back to ignoring them.

Willy tries not to take that personally, since it’s clear that the little guy has had a big shock. And he was out of Willy’s sight for all of half an hour at the most. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Call Mitch and Auston,” Willy whispers to Zach.

Jasper perks up at the suggestion a tiny bit, but only a tiny bit, because his tail doesn't wag and his snout remains immobile.

Zach gets up from where he’d crouched right beside Willy and moves away a few steps to make the phone call.

“Help is on the way, buddy,” Willy reassures Jasper and himself.

Jasper’s nostrils flare in what looks like a sign of understanding, but the little guy continues not to move nor does he relinquish his grip on the tiny bundle he’s guarding so fiercely.

“Just hang in there, okay?” Willy continues.

Jasper nods, thank fuck, and then starts nuzzling his little bundle.

“Mitch and Auston are on the way,” Zach says softly as he rejoins Willy, who’s decided sitting on the asphalt is better than messing up his knees. “I am going to get them, because I don't think they’d find us quickly, otherwise.”

“Anyone else coming?” Willy asks.

“Not yet,” Zach says, his eyes not leaving Jasper.

Willy can tell he’s trying to make sense of what he’s seeing, but it’s really hard, and, for all that Jasper doesn't seem to be afraid of them, he’s clearly not willing to move, let go or volunteer information just yet.

“Did you explain the situation?”

“I do not know what the situation is, Willy,” Zach says. “Until we figure out what is going on, I am going to avoid freaking anyone else out.”

“Good plan,” Willy admits.

“You know we’re not going to hurt you, right, buddy?” Zach repeats, then, speaking to Jasper. He’s practically begging, and there are tears in his eyes. Willy wonders if that’s what does the trick, though, at this point, who the fuck cares?

Jasper’s chirp is the softest and quietest Willy’s ever heard him utter, not to mention the best sound in the world. It is also clearly an assent, so Willy allows himself to breathe for a second. It’s still as heartbreaking as the view in front of them, however.

“Okay, good,” Zach nods determinedly. “Willy is going to keep you company while I go and get Mitch and Auston,” he continues. “Ask him about his latest idea for our playoff suits. He wants us to color-coordinate.”

“I do not,” Willy huffs while Zach scoots back from the dock, gets up and runs back towards the entrance of the street to the main avenue that’ll take him back to the hotel.

Jasper sends Willy a judgmental look. It figures that something having to do with color palette would get some type of reaction out of their little dragon. Jasper has very strong opinions about colors.

“I do not,” Willy repeats. “I just suggested to Hymie that we should get suits that go together. Like, grey and blue. Or pale green and lavender.”

Jasper wrinkles his snout at that, and Willy almost does a happy dance at seeing him responding.

“Yeah, that was Hymie reaction as well. He said I am going to see him in lavender when hell freezes over or the Coyotes win the cup, whichever comes first,” Willy explains. “To which Mitch said he hopes the Coyotes are never going to win the cup even if hell freezes over or I wear lavender. What with the way they’ve been treating Stromer. You remember Stromer, right?” Willy adds. “He’s one of the friends Mitch absolutely wants you to meet. Like, one of his bazillion GTA buddies. They’re really tight. I honestly thought they were an item before Mitch and Matty started making lovey-dovey faces at each other. I need to show you their draft videos, they’re actually really cute together.”

By now Willy is aware he’s rambling and that it’s probably not a good idea to discuss Mitch’s potential past boyfriends with Mitch’s sort-of-kid, but Jasper seems to find his explanations soothing, because he’s still looking at Willy and following along, and he seems a bit more relaxed.

“I mean,” Willy carries on, “not that Mitch is cute. Or Stromer, for that matter. There are a tons of memes out there comparing him to a raccoon, which is actually a good point, if you ask me. Anyway,” he says going back to the topic at hand, “I could totally pull lavender off, and so could Zach. It’d go so well with his colorings, don't you think?”

Jasper almost looks like he’s about to roll his eyes, but a movement from the bundle he’s coiled around distracts him and he looks down, starting to sniff and lick it like he was doing when Willy and Zach found him.

“Just a little longer, buddy,” Willy says, trying with all his strength not to get any nearer than he is. He gets that Jasper is scared out of his mind, but it’d be really great for Willy’s overall mental health if he could pick the little dude up.

“I also thought about yellow,” Willy continues once Jasper returns his gaze to him. “But let’s be honest: I’d look like an Easter chick or a huge pineapple and the guys would not let me live it down. Maybe,” he adds musingly, “we should just coordinate ties. We could get Mitch and Matty involved and do a whole Leaf thing, the four of us.”

The twinkle in Jasper’s eyes makes Willy take a huge breath of relief—mentally, of course—and it reiterates in Willy the conviction that Jasper sometimes thinks he’s crazy. Considering the clusterfuck that tonight is turning out to be, Willy will take crazy over dead.

Right then, Willy hears footsteps approaching fast and soon thereafter Zach re-enters the alcove, followed immediately by Mitch and Matty.

“Jasper,” Mitch says gently, kneeling down. Willy moves to the side a bit to allow for Mitch and Matty to fit in the tight spot. Zach remains standing, hovering over them and simultaneously keeping an eye out for intruders.

“Buddy,” Matty echoes, a world of worry in his voice.

Willy feels himself tear up. If he’s freaking out, Mitch and Matty are going to go mad.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says. It’s soft, so very soft, but it’s another fucking sound out of him, finally, and it’s louder than what he gave to Zach and Willy.

“Are you okay, Jasper?” Mitch asks, frantically looking at him. He doesn't get closer, so Zach must have told him that Jasper’s not being himself.

Jasper nods before licking the yellow stuff he’s cuddled around.

“What the fuck is going on?” Matty whispers in Willy’s ear.

“We don’t know,” Willy whispers back. “We found him like this and he’s not letting either of us get any closer.”

“I am going to ignore the part about the fact you found him, since it implies that, at some point, you _lost_ him,” Matty hisses before turning back to look at Jasper.

“What is he holding on to?” Mitch asks, thus rescuing Willy, at least for the moment.

“No clue,” Willy confesses. He’s been trying to figure that out. “I thought it was some sort of food or maybe a toy, you know,” he adds. “But it doesn't explain the reaction Jasper’s having. Plus, it moves. Or at least I think it does. I honestly cannot tell.”

“Mmm,” Mitch comments. Then he says, addressing Jasper, “Do you want to tell us what is going on? We can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper replies quietly.

Willy is not very good at Jasper-speech, yet, though he’s improved by leaps and bounds. Still, even he can tell Jasper is not entirely convinced he wants to share his thoughts with the class.

“You know we’re not going to be angry right?” Matty intervenes.

“ _Cheep_?” Jasper replies.

“Of course not, buddy,” Mitch adds. “Why would we be?”

“ _Cheep_ , _cheep, cheep, cheep,_ ” Jasper explains, looking at Willy and then at Zach.

This, Willy can translates easily.

“He took a little detour while we were out walking and I had to get Zach to help me find him,” Willy explains again. “I think he’s worried because we always tell him not to wander off by himself and he did precisely that.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper confirms.

Mitch sits on the pavement and Matty follows suit—Willy sympathizes: they’ve had a hard practice, they’re playing the Devils today and it’s the middle of the night. They might as well be confortable for this conversation.

“I am sure you had a very good reason to do that,” Mitch smiles encouragingly.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees quickly.

“Good,” Matty adds. “If that’s the case, then Willy gets to live. Isn’t that marvelous, Jasper?” Matty continues. He’s clearly laying it on thick for Jasper’s amusement. Willy doesn't mind if it gets Jasper to feel better. “We all know how much Willy likes to be alive.”

Jasper finally lets out an amused snort, before saying, “ _Cheep, cheep_.”

“Good point, buddy,” Matty says. “Zach would like it very much if Willy continued to live, as well. Not to mention Babs.”

“Can we move on from my life to Jasper’s problems?” Willy mutters, blushing brightly.

Zach squeezes his shoulder and Willy sends him a grateful look before going back to check on their dragon.

“So,” Mitch says, “what’s wrong?”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, licking the yellow mass he’s curled around.

“Yeah,” Mitch says. “I gathered you found something exciting and scary, but we can’t really see what it is, bud. Care to share?”

Jasper looks at them—stares at them all, really—very intensely for several minutes. Willy doesn't remember a time when Jasper has ever looked at any of them like that.

“You know you can trust us, right?” Matty says.

There is a hitch in his voice, and Willy suddenly realizes that this must be heartbreaking for Mitch and Auston. It’s their fucking kid, he’s clearly in pain and he’s not sure he can confide in his parents. When Willy looks at Mitch, he sees tears in his eyes, and he instinctively grabs one of his hands to offer some comfort. Mitch’s grip is painful.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says hesitantly.

“With everything, Jasper,” Mitch says, his smile watery. “You can trust us with everything. I can’t promise we can fix what is wrong, but we are going to do our best to try. I promise you that. _We_ promise you that.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper sniffles.

Willy has never seen Jasper unhappy, though he knows that he has a hard time when Mitch and Auston are on the road—hence him being with them despite the dangers involved. He certainly hopes this is the first and last time he has to witness Jasper’s unhappiness, though, because it’s awful. He would rather not win a Cup in his career than see something like this ever again.

“Oh, buddy,” Mitch says, squeezing Willy’s hand while tears start pouring on his face.

Matty doesn't look much better, so Willy does his best to keep it together for the two of them. It helps that Zach, too, has crouched down and he’s caressing Willy’s back in a soothing manner.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, wagging his tail. It could mean anything, really, but Mitch clearly takes it as permission to scoot closer. Jasper’s tail stops wagging and Mitch freezes.

“Jasper,” Mitch breathes heartbroken, and Willy starts crying too, because he might as well.

That somehow must tip the scale for the little guy, because a second later Jasper finally uncoil and makes his way, very slowly, towards Mitch. He looks fine, but he’s trying to shield his findings with his body.

“ _Cheep_ ,” he tells Mitch. It sounds like an apology.

“It’s okay, Jasper,” Mitch answers. “Tell us how we can help.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, pointing one of his little paws towards the yellow bundle he’s been guarding since Willy and Zach found him.

“What’s that, buddy?” Matty asks.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper explains unhelpfully.

“Can I come closer?” Mitch says, displaying his uncanny ability to understand Jasper better than anyone else.

Willy wipes his face, not even jealous, for once, about the fact that Mitch is clearly Jasper’s favorite.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says going back to his little treasure.

Mitch crawls closer—and it’s probably a good thing it’s Mitch and not Willy or Matty, because the space is really tight—and comes to an abrupt stop once he has a full view of what Jasper found.

“Jesus,” he whispers.

“What?” Willy asks. He wants to know, okay? He’s been here the longest and he’s kept Jasper sort of sane, even if he lost him to begin with. Well, not lost him. Whatever.

“Is it okay if I take a look, Jasper?” Mitch asks, ignoring Willy like he often does.

“Mitchy,” Matty says warningly.

“Give me a minute, Auston,” Mitch says quickly.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper nods from his place besides Mitch.

Mitch leans forward, spends what feels to Willy like another decade to examine whatever the fuck Jasper discovered in this shithole of a place, and then looks at Jasper.

“You did a great job, buddy,” he smiles.

Jasper wags his tail tentatively.

“ _Cheep_?” he asks.

“Of course, I am sure,” Mitch confirms, a dazzling, and at the same time dazed, smile on his face. “But I think you should let us help you, here. Like we did in Arizona?”

Jasper tilts his head, looks at Mitch, at Matty, at Willy and finally at Zach, who’s now sitting where Mitch was.

“ _Cheep_ ,” he finally agrees, running up Mitch’s shoulder, seemingly to supervise Mitch taking care of his treasure—at least, Willy thinks it’s a treasure of some sort. Dragons are hoarders, if he remembers correctly.

Mitch leans over further and picks the thing up before turning towards them and sitting cross-legged on the pavement, Jasper firmly planted on his shoulder.

“What is it?” Zach asks anxiously. Willy can relate. His heart hasn't stopped beating wildly since Jasper disappeared into the night.

Mitch opens his hand and Willy feels himself go dizzy as blood rushes to his head. On his left, Matty visibly winces, while on his right Zach goes still.

“Oh my god,” Willy whispers.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says forlornly.

There is another dragon in Mitch’s hand, because _of course_ there is. He’s half Jasper’s size, his scales are golden and orange, and the red streams Willy has been seeing are not, like he’d hoped, some fabric patterns on a toy, but, indeed, dry blood. The little thing is clearly breathing, and doing so regularly, but he’s not awake.

“Call Babs,” Willy tells Zach once he regains full control of his mental abilities.

“What?” Matty says startled.

“We are calling Babs now,” Willy says resolutely. “No waiting for three weeks while this dude gets settled and no thinking about shit while life passes us by. We call Babs _right the fuck_ now, so we can fix Jasper’s friend as soon as possible.”

Zach looks at Mitch—Willy gets it, really, since Mitch is in charge of the dragon, pardon, dragons, because _now they’ve got two_ —and then at Matty—who’s in charge of Mitch—and once they’ve both nodded their consent he looks at Jasper.

“Is that okay, little dude?” Zach asks gently, and Willy loves him like he’s never loved anything in his entire life, but less than how much he’s going to love Zach tomorrow, because that’s how things are going to be between them.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees, his tail moving a bit faster than it has thus far.

“Let’s start going back to the hotel,” Matty suggests getting up and extending a hand to help Willy and then Mitch do the same. “Zach can call Babs on the way.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees, his eyes not leaving the little creature passed out in Mitch’s right palm.

“We’re going to take good care of him, buddy,” Willy promises. “Her?” he adds because who knows what Jasper found.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper shakes his head. Him it is, then. Apparently the Toronto Maple Leafs are destined to locate only male dragons. Willy wonders if this has some kind of significance.

Zach walks ahead, phone already out. By the time they’ve reached the entrance of the hotel Jasper is hidden in Matty’s hood while Mitch is holding their new charge in his hands, hiding it from the hotel cameras and the other guests—not that there is anyone around at this time of the night. It must be past one o’clock, by now.

“Babs is going to come to your room directly,” Zach tells Mitch.

“Did you explain the situation?” Willy asks, but Zach shakes his head.

“I told him Jasper got lost and that we have a situation. He was asleep, so I figured it might be better to let him wake up before we dump another dragon on him.”

“We’ll order coffee and some food once we get to our room,” Matty says.

Willy would also like something strong to drink, but they do have a fucking game tonight and he doesn't think Babs is going to be particularly in favor of the idea. Though maybe he will, what with the _second dragon in less than six months that they’ve stumbled upon_.

By the time they make it to Mitch and Auston’s room, Babs is already there. He’s wearing sweats and a t-shirt, and he clearly just woke up, but he appears alert, which is a blessing. They’re going to need all the brainpower they can get.

“Boys,” he says while Auston hastens to open the room door.

“Sorry about the hour, Coach,” Mitch says once they’re all in the room.

Zach is quickly on the phone ordering food and drinks, while Matty disappears into the bathroom, presumably to find stuff with which to clean Jasper’s new friend up.

“Is everything okay?” Babs asks looking at them.

“We’re fine, Coach,” Willy says while Mitch sits carefully on his bed. Willy takes position on Auston’s, right across from Mitch.

“And Jasper?” Babs adds.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, as Matty returns from the bathroom with towels, a glass of water and some bandages.

Jasper jumps from Auston’s shoulder to Mitch’s before turning towards Babs and wagging his tail, seemingly happy to see him.

“ _Cheep_ ,” he adds, pointing at Mitch’s hands.

“What’s that, Jasper?” Babs asks, sitting down next to Mitch.

“This is that, Coach,” Mitch explains, opening his hands and showing Babs its contents.

***

**Auston**

Auston is once again amazed by their coach’s ability to keep calm under extreme pressure. Babs’ eyes widen, which is more of a reaction than the one they got when he met Jasper, but that’s the only visible sign of his surprise, besides the deep breath he takes. He remains silent all the way through Zach’s quick explanation of the night events, which is interspersed by Willy’s clarifications, since he was the one who spent most of the time with Jasper.

“Is that blood?” he asks eventually, once Zach and Willy are done.

“I think so, Coach,” Auston replies, kneeling before Mitch to get to the little dude, who’s still passed out in Mitch’s hand.

Jasper starts growling again, which surprises Auston, because Jasper growled at him once, right when they met. He hadn’t really believed Hyms when he’d told him it had happened again.

“Buddy,” Mitch says soothingly. “We need to see what’s wrong with him.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper objects, looking at Babs.

“I think he wants you to do it, Coach,” Auston explains when Babs frowns.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper assents.

“I am not a veterinarian, Jasper,” Babs answers, even as he pulls out his phone. “Plus, we need more than just water and some bandages.” This doesn't seem to stop him, though, Auston notices with a sigh of relief, because Babs is quickly giving orders.

“Pete, it’s Mike,” he says into the phone, speaking to one of the trainers. “Yeah, I know what time it is. Listen: could you put together a first aid kit… No, everything is fine, I just need to have it. I forgot mine at home … Yes, I usually have one … No, it cannot wait until tomorrow. You know I like to be prepared … Sure … Okay, sure, you can make fun of me when we get back home… Yeah, yeah, I am a control freak, alert the press … I will come and get it myself, you don't even need to bother getting dressed … Actually, even better, I am sending Willy over. I just caught him breaking curfew … Nah, he was just getting some midnight snacks, nothing serious, but it’s going to be funny to get him out of bed again … Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am a monster. Thanks, I owe you one.”

Willy is clearly not too bothered with this new development, since he was technically breaking curfew; they all were.

“Sorry to throw you under the bus,” Babs says looking at Willy, who shrugs resigned.

“It’s fine, Coach. What room?”

“709. Give him a couple of minutes,” Babs says.

While they wait for Pete to get the first aid kit ready, Auston takes a closer look to the yellow bundle of joy Jasper located.

The new dragon looks asleep and most of the blood seems to stem from a gash he has on one of his hind legs. He looks super-tiny in Mitch’s hands. Auston is worried they might actually break him, and he never had that concern with Jasper.

“Matty,” Mitch says, and Auston raises his gaze.

Mitch looks at him with a hopeless expression in his face.

“It’s going to be fine, Mitchy,” Matty says, squeezing Mitch’s knee.

“He’s so cold, Matty,” Mitch explains chewing on his lower lip. “Jasper always runs so hot and this little dude is so cold.”

“Where you trying to warm him up, buddy?” Zach asks—there is a reason he’s in charge of Jasper’s education, Auston thinks, not regretting that decision for even one second.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper nods.

“Why don't you keep doing that while we wait for the first aid kit?” Babs suggests.

Jasper nods and positions himself around the little guy like he was when Willy found him.

Babs’ phone chirps with a text.

“Willy,” he says.

“On it, Coach. I will be right back,” Willy says.

“Sorry to call you in, Coach,” Zach apologizes once Willy is out of the door. “But Willy was pretty adamant.”

“He was right,” Babs says, rubbing his eyes. “You said that Jasper decided to sneak around unsupervised?”

“He was out with Willy for his night walk,” Zach explains again. “He suddenly took off and Willy was unable to find him. That’s when he came to get me.”

“Did you see your friend? Is that why you disappeared?” Auston asks, caressing Jasper’s snout softly.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper sniffles. “ _Cheep_ , _cheep, cheep._ ”

“You did the right thing, buddy,” Auston hastens to reassure him.

“And you were brave,” Mitch adds.

“Very brave,” Babs confirms. “Though maybe next time tell Willy, so he doesn't go grey before his time?”

Jasper snorts and Auston gets a watery smile from Mitch.

God, Auston hates this. He wants to hug Mitch and Jasper, but it really doesn't seem appropriate right at this moment, even if Babs knows they’re together. It’s not like they’re keeping it a secret from the team. Auston hates feeling so impotent in the face of Mitch and Jasper’s suffering, not to mention the poor little guy Jasper so fortuitously rescued.

“You did so good, Jasper,” Auston praises him, because it bears repeating. “You saw someone in difficulty and you acted well. I am so proud of you.”

“We all are,” Zach interjects. “You’re going to get so many beets when we get back to Toronto, you can grow your own beet garden.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper thanks them, looking a bit embarrassed from the praise.

Willy is back with the first aid kit and room service, which he apparently collected from a waiting bellboy.

“Okay,” Babs says, getting up. “Let’s go to the bathroom and take a look. No,” he adds when he notices his four players getting up. “Mitch, you bring them over near the sink and make sure our guest is as confortable as he can be. Auston, go help him. Zach,” he continues, turning towards Hymie, “I don't see why Jasper needs to wait until we’re back to Toronto to eat beets. Order him something with them in it, then they two of you should go and change. Get back here as soon as you are done. And Willy.”

At that, Auston sees Willy physically flinch, which is really sad.

“Willy, you did great. I know you’re probably freaked out and upset and you feel guilty. But you found him and you kept him calm until reinforcement arrived. So chin up: go and take a shower, change, and be back here. It’s going to be a long night and I am going to need the four of you.”

“The game, Coach,” Mitch says tentatively.

“We’ve got four perfectly functioning lines, Mitchy,” Babs says. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for the rest of the team to step it up while you guys try not to fall asleep on the ice. Now let’s take a look at Jasper’s friend.”

Auston passes his keycard to Zach and Willy before following Mitch and Babs to the bathroom, which is thankfully spacious enough to accommodate them all.

Mitch deposits the little guy on a towel, and Jasper sniffs at him before looking at Babs expectantly. Auston doesn't blame him. He, too, would like to know what Coach is thinking.

“Can you tell if he’s asleep or passed out, Jasper?” Coach asks while washing his hands.

Auston figures it might be a good idea to do the same, and Mitch follows suit.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper shakes his head unhappy.

“Get clean up, too, buddy,” Auston tells him. “We don't want him to get anything yucky once he’s clean.”

Jasper readily complies while Babs unpacks the first aid kit.

“Was he like this when you found him?” Babs asks.

Jasper nods.

“And he never woke up?”

Jasper shakes his little head.

“Mmm,” he comments, putting some sterile gloves on and starting to take a look at the yellow dragon.

Auston is really impressed, to be honest. Plus, Coach’s calm demeanor helps him calm the fuck down. He could go without the ongoing hyperventilating and tachycardia.

“I think there is only one wound, Coach,” Mitch says, pointing to the very visible gash on the dragon’s left hind leg.

“Let’s me take a closer look, but I think you’re right. Matty, do you have a flashlight?”

Auston pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight app, thus helping Babs see better.

Jasper inches closer, but Mitch picks him up and takes a step back.

“Let them do this, buddy,” he shushes him when Jasper complains. “You know you can trust them.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper seems to settle, though Auston isn’t looking at him, but, rather, at the other dragon they’re now somewhat responsible for. Well, Mitch wanted to find Jasper a family. Silver lining and all of that.

“I agree, Mitch,” Babs concludes. “Only one wound, though there is no way of telling how much blood he lost. Didn't realize dragon’s blood was red. I would have thought it’d be of a different color.”

“ _Cheep_ , _cheep, cheep,_ ” Jasper begins.

Auston can tell it’s another one of those long disquisitions on dragon physiology none of them understands. Apparently Jasper knows _a lot_ about dragon physiology. Pity he cannot communicate any details effectively.

“It depends, you say?” Babs asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jasper shrugs, which could mean anything from ‘Yeah’ to ‘I thought I was the only one, so what do I know.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Babs continues, now intent at cleaning the wound and making sure nothing is stuck in it. Auston wants to be Babs when he grows up, he decides right at this moment. I mean, his own dad is pretty awesome, don’t get him wrong, but Babs is Babs.

“He does look quite different from you, for all that he has the basic dragon requirements,” Mitch comments.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees.

“He’s so tiny, though,” Auston says, because the little guy really is, and that scares him shitless. It’s already so hard to keep track of Jasper.

“Hopefully he’s going to grow a bit, right, buddy?” Mitch says soothingly, sending a withering state at Auston, who zips it.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper readily concurs.

It takes them about twenty minutes to make sure that Jasper’s friend—and here Auston finally gets why Mitch was so insistent on naming Jasper as soon as possible—is well taken care off, cleaned and his wound dressed. By the time Babs is done, the guy’s still out, but Auston is 90% convinced he’s sleeping the shock off and he’s not in, like, dragon coma or something.

When Auston, Babs and Mitch return to the bedroom, Mitch cradling their guest on a clean towel under Jasper’s careful supervision, Willy and Zach are there, cleaned and changed.

Willy goes up to Auston and hugs him tightly.

“I am so sorry, Matty,” he mumbles in Auston’s shoulder.

Auston pats him gently. He’s not angry—how could he be, when this is the end result and it was not Willy’s fault?—but he gets that Willy might need some reassurance.

“It’s fine, Willy,” he says, squeezing Willy. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I just don't want you guys to revoke my visitation rights,” Willy says. His eyes are red, a sign he’s been crying.

Mitch comes up to them after depositing his bundle on the bed and hugs Willy, too.

“We’re going to make you guys godparents, so shut the fuck up, Willy,” he reassures him.

“Really?” Willy whispers, awed by the idea.

“Yes, really,” Auston smiles. “Who else would do such a great job with him if not the two of you?”

“Zach …” Willy turns towards Hyms, who is smiling.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees from his position near his new friend.

Auston and Mitch talked about this with him, so Auston knows he’s on board with the idea. After all, Willy and Zach _are_ Jasper’s favorite uncles.

“Oh,” Willy says, letting go of Mitch and Auston and going back to the two trays of food that are now in the room. “Your beet salad came up, buddy. And there is some coffee, Coach, if you want it.”

“That’d be great, Willy, thanks,” Babs says, sitting on the loveseat near the TV.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper comments.

“Of course you can have your salad now,” Auston says, taking it to Jasper. The little guy packs away food like a lion for all that he’s a couple of inches high and a pound or something in weight.

“What’s the verdict, sir?” Zach asks, sitting on the floor near Mitch’s bed and looking at their new friend intently.

“I think he either got caught into something or he lost a fight with a cat or a rat,” Babs explains while sipping his coffee. “The gash wasn't very deep, but nothing was done about it. There is no way of knowing how much blood he lost, unfortunately. But he seems fine. I think that he might run colder than Jasper, so I am not inclined to worry about that just yet.”

“I hope you’re right, Coach,” Mitch says, looking down at the little guy.

Auston steps closer and sits on the floor by the bed, making sure not to disturb their new friend.

“He looks exactly like Jasper, except for the colors and the size,” he observes.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper comments while chewing on a piece of beet.

“Have you ever met him before? Or someone like him?” Zach asks.

Auston knows that Zach wants to be thorough, but they went over this with Jasper several times: he’s not aware of any other living dragons beside himself and he doesn't know where he came from. He’s only ever known Phoenix, Arizona.

Unsurprisingly, Jasper shakes his head.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Auston reassures him. “The important thing is that you found him in time for us to be able to help him.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper sighs, before going back to his beets.

Auston looks around and sees that Willy has given in to exhaustion and has laid down on Auston’s own bed. He’s awake, but his eyes are close. Zach leaves Jasper to his salad and goes to lay down besides his boyfriend, who curls up onto him. Looks like everyone has decided to ignore that Babs is in the room.

Jasper looks progressively better the more he eats, Auston notices. Every so often, he runs to his new friend, sniffs him to make sure he’s still breathing, licks him a bit in reassurance, and then goes back to eating his beloved beets. It’s actually so endearing that Auston sends Mitch a lovesick smile, which Mitch returns.

After a few minutes of this, Mitch finally decides to stop hovering, sits on the floor next to Auston, who is lying against his bed, and leans against him. Yep, they’re all ignoring Babs, who, when Auston looks at him, is observing them all with a benevolent smile. Maybe he can adopt them all.

Auston drops a kiss on Mitch’s head, trying to reassure his boyfriend that things are going to be okay, and Mitch interlaces his hand in Auston’s.

“How are you holding up?” Auston asks worriedly.

“I’ll be fine once the little guy wakes up,” Mitch admits with a heavy sigh.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees.

“It might be a while,” Auston points out. “You should try to get some sleep.”

“Matty is right, Mitch,” Babs says from the loveseat. He’s done with his coffee and he has stretched out as much as possible in the small space he has. “We should try to sleep some. I am sure that Jasper is going to wake us up if something changes, right, buddy?”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, leaving his salad to go to Babs. After running up to him and reaching his shoulder, he licks Babs’ ear—something that, as far as Auston knows, he’s never done—and then he gets back to his charge.

“Sorry,” Auston mouths, but Babs shakes his head with a smile.

“I think they might be ready for that play date,” Auston whispers into Mitch’s ear.

Mitch laughs before dragging Auston to the bed. They lay down so that there is enough space around Jasper and his new friend; after that, Mitch falls asleep quickly.

Auston notices that Zach and Willy, too, have succumbed to the stress of the evening. He’s grateful for that. He cannot even begin to imagine what they must have gone thorough, Willy especially. He loves Jasper so much and he’s always so careful with him, because he wants to deserve spending time with him—which is absurd, really, but Willy is weird, and Auston has stopped trying to make sense of that.

Despite the exhaustion, Auston cannot fall asleep, however. He’s worried about Jasper, he’s worried about Mitch, he’s worried about Willy, he’s worried about their new friend, not to mention the game they have tonight. Sure, their playoff spot is secured, but none of them wants to end the season with a whimper and the Devils have been killing it of late, especially Hall and Hischier.

Auston looks down and he sees Jasper looking back. He’s polished off the beets, and left the rest behind. Considering the amount of fruit and vegetables Jasper usually consumes, Auston is not going to complain about it.

“Do you want something else?” he asks softly. Mitch is sort of slumped against him, his head on Auston’s shoulder, but he’s a deep sleeper, so Auston is happy to get up to get some of the food that came in with room service.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper shakes his head, going back to sniffing his little friend, who’s still sound asleep.

“ _Cheep_?” he then asks Auston, trying to be quiet.

“I don't know when he’s going to wake up, buddy,” Auston answers. “He’s probably very tired and the cut he got doesn't help. He needs a lot of rest.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, licking the little dragon’s snout.

“Yeah, I know. Waiting sucks,” Auston agrees. “But at least you found him, right? And now he’s somewhere safe and he’s got a friend already when he wakes up.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says wagging his tail. Then, very gently, he wraps himself around his little charge and goes to sleep after chirping his goodnight.

Auston must fall asleep as well, because when he wakes up there is a little light coming from the window and the hotel alarm o’clock informs him it’s almost six.

Jasper is still asleep, curled around the little yellow dragon, who is now awake. He’s staring at Auston with green eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea—turquoise, he thinks his mom called it once—and he looks completely freaked out.

“Hey, there,” Auston says softly, trying not to spook him even more. “I am Auston. What’s your name?”

The little dude doesn't say anything, but his nostrils flares like Jasper’s do when he’s smelling something foul. Auston doesn't really appreciate the implication of that, but he says nothing about it.

“Have you met Jasper?” Auston continues soothingly. “He found you outside and was worried about you. He’s currently pretending to be your blanket.”

The dragon turns to look around and, when he realizes he’s surrounded by another dragon, he seems to relax visibly.

“ _Beep,_ ” he says, turning back towards Auston.

“Yeah, that’s Jasper. Sorry about him,” Auston smiles. “He was really worried about you, so he’s been trying to take care of you as best as he can.”

The little dude sniffles Jasper, who wrinkles his nose but doesn't wake up.

“ _Beep_?” he asks Auston.

“I wish I knew what you are saying, buddy. But if you want to wake him up, go ahead. He’s going to be happy to meet you.”

“ _Beep_?” the little guy asks, and here Auston has no problems understanding.

“Absolutely, I am sure. We’re going to need to wake up the rest of my friends, too,” he adds, gesturing at the room, where everyone is still asleep.

The dragon looks around, and he goes tense again.

“No, no, no,” Auston smiles warmly. “They’re all here to help you, too.”

The little guy looks skeptical, so Auston feels compelled to explain.

“That’s Babs, over there,” he nods towards Coach, who’s asleep on the loveseat. “He’s the one who looked at your wound and fixed you up. Jasper wanted him to do specifically; I think it’s because he’s our coach and takes care of us.”

The dragon relaxes minutely and looks at his leg, noticing, probably for the first time, that it has stopped bleeding and it’s now dressed.

“Behind you on the other bed are Willy and Zach,” Auston continues. “Willy found you and Jasper and Zach helped him rescue you.”

The little dude observes Auston’s lineys for a minute before turning back to Auston.

“This,” Auston finishes, gesturing at Mitch, who’s in his arm fast asleep, “is Mitch. He found Jasper a few months ago back in Arizona, where I am from. Jasper has been with Mitch and me ever since.”

“ _Beep_?”

“Yeah, really,” Auston nods. ”Ask him. He really wants to meet you.”

“What?” Mitch says, mumbling as he wakes up.

“I was telling our new friend that Jasper really wants to meet him,” Auston explains.

“He’s awake?” Mitch gets up quickly, dislodging Auston’s hands. “Is he okay? Are you okay, buddy?” he asks, turning towards the little dragon, who’s staring at Mitch, clearly surprised by the amount of noise Mitch can make in such a short time.

“Do you need something to drink? To eat?” Mitch carries on. “We’ve got all the food in the world, and if you’re like Jasper you probably are going to eat your weight in fruit.”

“Mitchy,” Auston tries to calm him down.

“ _Beep_ ,” the little dude says, probably calling Mitch’s name too.

“Oh my god, you are so cute,” Mitch says completely mesmerized.

“Mitch, let him breathe,” Babs tells him from the couch.

“Sorry, Coach,” Mitch smiles sheepishly. “Go ahead, wake Jasper up.” Then, to his teammates. “Willy, Hymie, our guest is alive and awake.”

Their guest doesn't pay much attention to Zach and Willy waking up, but, Auston notices, he chirps quite loudly at Jasper until Jasper wakes up and sees that his little buddy is awake and, as far as Auston can tell, none the worst despite his misadventures.

“ _Cheep_!” Jasper says enthusiastically, beginning to lick the little dude all over. “ _Cheep, cheep, cheep_ ,” he adds. Auston imagines it’s got something to do with checking that everything is okay.

The little guy seems happy enough to answer Jasper’s questions, though he does so quietly and timidly. It is clear they understand each other perfectly well.

“Thank god,” Zach says from the other bed, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. “I was worried they wouldn’t speak the same language.”

“Jasper is multilingual, Hyms,” Willy says, looking at the two dragons with a huge smile on his face. “Of course they understand each other.”

“We don't know if there are, like, twenty different dragon languages or something, Willy,” Zach objects, sounding all prim and proper.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper comments, which could be something along the lines of ‘Our linguistic system is beyond your human comprehension’ as well as a request for more beets. With Jasper one never knows.

“Are you guys hungry?” Mitch asks again.

The little dragon looks at Jasper, who must reassure him because he nods.

“Okay,” Babs says, getting to the tray they had brought in the night before.

Auston remembers that Zach had ordered Jasper’s favorites besides something for them to eat. They never got around it, though, what with exhaustion kicking in.

“Most of this is cold,” Babs explains taking a look at things, “but there is stuff you can eat while we get some breakfast sent up.”

“We have team breakfast in a little over an hour, Coach,” Willy reminds him.

“Yes, I know, Willy, which is why I am about to text Morgan to let him know that we won’t be in attendance and not to worry,” Babs explains. “Now order something for everyone and get me some eggs and bacon with plenty of coffee and toast. I am going to shower and then I am going to come back, alright?”

“Yes, sir,” Auston nods. “The key is on the desk.”

Coach grabs the key and lets himself out.

Zach gets up and brings the tray back to the beds.

“This is Arizona all over again,” Mitch whispers before getting off the bed.

“No kidding,” Auston says, crossing his legs so that Jasper and his new friend can move around if they want.

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper says.

“Of course you are still hungry,” Willy says, picking him up and dropping a kiss on his snout. Jasper reciprocates while the little guy observes the scene with open curiosity.

“So,” Zach interjects, “any preferences?”

The little dude points to the fruit salad, which Zach moves to the bed for easy access.

“ _Beep_?” he asks Zach.

“I think you can have the whole thing, buddy. We’re getting more fruit from room service. Which reminds me that I should probably get on with that.”

While Zach is busy with Reception and Willy uses their bathroom, Auston picks Jasper up.

“Is he okay?” he asks.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper nods. “ _Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,_ ” he continues, presumably explaining what happened to the little guy.

“Is someone looking for him?” Mitch asks worriedly. “If his family is missing him, we need to make sure they know he’s fine.”

Auston loves him so much he doesn't know how to deal with it, sometimes.

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper shakes his head sadly. It looks like the little guy is as alone as Jasper was when Mitch found him, which makes Auston wonder about what the fuck is wrong with the dragon community. Not to mention, where the fuck are all these dragons coming from to begin with?

“Does he have a name?” Willy asks coming out from the bathroom. “Because I keep thinking about him as ‘little guy’, but it’s going to get tiresome real fast.”

“ _Beep!”_ the little guy says, raising his head from the piece of banana he’s devouring. Not like Jasper at all in that. Jasper is very finicky about bananas.

“ _Cheep!_ ” Jasper repeats, and Auston sighs heavily. “Awesome,” he comments. “He does have a name. We just need to figure out what it is.”

“No worries,” Willy says all excited, going to the desk to grab pen and paper. “Jasper’s getting better and better with his letters. He can tell us.”

“Good idea, Willy,” Zach agrees. “You can show off you mad skills to Matty and Marns, buddy, and to Babs, when he gets back.”

“ _Cheep!_ ” Jasper agrees enthusiastically, before turning towards his friend to explain, at least Auston so presumes, the wonders of reading and writing.

Zach and Willy settle on the floor right in front of where the yellow dragon is eating under Jasper’s supervision.

“Okay, Jasper,” Zach says, once he’s written out the whole alphabet. “Let’s spell his name out.”

Jasper and his friend get into a long conversation, going back and forth for a while, much to Auston’s consternation. Mitch, too, is looking perplexed, though the tension he’s been carrying since last night has dissipated.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper finally decides, which Auston takes as a sign they’re ready.

Babs chooses that moment to come back to the room, and Mitch quickly catches him up before Jasper starts slowly perusing the alphabet Zach has written out for him.

“First letter, Jasper, come on, buddy,” Willy cheers him happily.

Jasper takes his time, but he finally settles on the S.

“S?” Zach repeats. “Like sugar?”

“Like syrup?” Mitch adds.

“Like Sosh?” Willy says, which has the unfortunate side effect to make everyone in the room sad, even if Jasper nods forcefully.

“Steven?” Willy says. “Is your name Steven, buddy?” he asks the little yellow dragon, who looks back in distaste.

“Why would it be Steven?” Mitch asks, because he still hasn't learned not to get into pointless arguments with William Nylander. Auston, who’s been playing on a line with him for close to two years, knows better.

“True,” Willy concedes. “It could be Steve. Or Stephen. Or Stefan.”

“Or maybe it could be whatever his name is and we can let Jasper tell us,” Babs deadpans.

Willy shuts up while Jasper trills amusedly.

“Okay, buddy,” Zach picks up. “Second letter.”

Here Jasper is much faster and he immediately points to the T.

“St…?” Willy says. “Oh, god. It’s Steven. Steven Stamkos, isn’t it? We got ourselves a Bolts dragon.”

“Willy,” Auston says, though he cannot contain his laughter.

“Ignore Willy, Jasper,” Babs says. “And you, too, buddy,” he adds, addressing the little dragon for the first time directly. “It’s the best course of action, trust me.”

“Ouch,” Mitch says. “Burn, dude.”

“Whatever,” Willy says. “Jasper loves me. Third letter, guys, come on!”

Jasper ponders that for even less time and he points to the A quite easily.

“Sta?” Zach muses. “That’s interesting.”

“Definitely not Steven,” Mitch mutters.

“Could still be Stamkos,” Willy smiles winningly.

Auston rolls his eyes at Willy and ignores his boyfriend, because at times like this discretion _is_ the best part of valor.

“Next letter, Jasper, before I have to trade Willy with Tampa so he can spend time with his new best friend, Steven Stamkos himself,” Babs says.

Jasper begins a long disquisition about why Willy _should absolutely not_ be traded anywhere, least of all Tampa. Once he realizes that Babs is making fun of Willy, though, he chirps happily.

“Let’s continue, buddy,” Willy says, clearly resigned to be made the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Jasper goes back to the piece of paper and points to the letter R.

“Star…” Mitch says. “That’s good. What else?”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, sitting his butt down.

_“Beep,_ ” the little dragon adds, also sitting his butt down next to Jasper.

“Star? That’s your name?” Auston asks.

“Like the Dallas Stars?” Willy says appalled. “I am not sure that’s any better than Steven or Stamkos, buddy.”

“William,” Zach yells, slapping him on the head.

“I was joking, jeez, guys,” Willy says. “It’s actually a pretty good name for you. You’re all yellow and orange, like some stars.”

“ _Beep, beep, beep_ ,” Star comments. He doesn't seem offended.

“So your name is Star, then,” Auston asks, again, since he was so rudely interrupted.

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper says, and that sounds like sort of an agreement, but not completely.

“It’s not?” Zach asks confused.

“ _Beep,_ ” maybe-Star explains.

Jasper shakes his head and points at Auston.

“ _Cheep,_ ” he says, and it’s the sound he makes when he’s calling Auston himself.

“I am Auston,” Auston repeats and Jasper nods.

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper adds, and it’s slightly different, but he’s still pointing at Auston.

“He’s Auston,” Willy says, “we got that.”

“ _Cheep, cheep, cheep,_ ” Jasper disagrees, looking at Willy like he does when he doesn't approve of his bubble bath selection.

“He’s _Matty,_ ” Mitch says with a huge smile on his face. “Star is a nickname.”

“ _Cheep!_ ” Jasper jumps up and down before running up Mitch’s shoulder to snuggle with him.

Star doesn't jump up and down, but his tail wags for the first time since they’ve found him. He’s clearly not as demonstrative as Jasper and much shier to boot, but his personality is slowly emerging the more confortable he feels with them. Auston exhales, relieved.

“That’s cool that you have a nickname,” Zach says. “Mine is Hyms, or Hymie, but my name is Zachary, or Zach. What’s your name?”

“ _Beep,_ ” Star explains unhelpfully.

“Jasper?” Babs asks.

Jasper goes back to the paper with the alphabet and looks at it pensively.

“ _Beep,_ ” Star says, and to Auston it sounds like ‘Get a move on it.’

_Jesus_ , he thinks, _he’s already behaving like a younger brother._

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper replies, before pointing to the letter C.

“C,” Willy says, “like …”

“Let me stop you right there, Willy,” Babs says as a knock comes on the door. “We don’t need you to go through all the options we have or we’re going be here until July.”

“I’ll get that,” Auston says, getting up and retrieving their breakfast in short order.

Once everyone has some food in front of them, Jasper goes back to perusing the letters while chewing on a piece of toast. He points to O, P, and E in relatively rapid succession, and Auston cannot help but being impressed by how good he’s getting at this.

“You guys did an amazing job,” he says looking at Zach and Willy, who blush charmingly.

“I was about to say the same thing,” Mitch agrees. “Thank you so much, guys, really. This is awesome.”

“ _Cheep!_ ” Jasper protests indignant.

“We all agree you’re awesome, too, Jasper,” Babs says, reaching out to pat him gently on the head. “Let Zach and Willy enjoy their moment, however. They _are_ doing a great job.”

Both Willy and Zach mumble their thanks while Jasper looks like he just received a medal. Auston is familiar with the feeling. Babs’ approval does that to a person.

“Okay, then,” Mitch says. “We’ve got Cope. What comes afterwards?”

Jasper goes back to his task and he spends some time debating between the letter R and the letter N. He seems unsure about which of the two he should choose.

Auston is perplexed, because they’re very different letters, but then, Jasper does not exactly _speak_ English.

“ _Cheep,”_ he finally says resigned, pointing at both of them.

“Either Coper or Copen, then?” Zach asks.

Jasper shrugs, but he doesn't look convinced.

“Maybe it’s either Copern or Copenr,” Willy suggests.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star interjects, his tail wagging excitedly.

“Copern?” Mitch asks. “Your actual name is Copern?”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper objects. “ _Cheep, cheep, cheep_.”

“This is a nightmare,” Willy huffs.

“No,” Auston says. “A nightmare is losing the Cup during Game Seven in a shoot-out. We can do this. Is there anything else after Copern?”

Willy looks suitably chastised and Auston smiles at him to ensure he knows he’s not mad.

Jasper nods and goes back to the letters and, after another few minutes of debate, he points to the I.

“Coperni?” Babs says, a frown on his forehead. “Like Copernicus?”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees.

“ _Beep,_ ” Star echoes happily, flapping his wings in sync with his tail.

“Copernicus?” Mitch asks. “What sort of name is that?”

“Isn’t he a scientist or something?” Willy asks.

“Or something,” Zach says.

“College boy, we talked about this,” Willy says wagging his pointer finger at him. “No need to make all of us look like fools.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Zach says apologetically. “It’s just that he’s pretty famous.”

“We’re hockey players, Hymie,” Auston says, sort of apologetic. “Though the name does sound familiar.”

“Nicolaus Copernicus,” Mitch says, reads, really, from his phone. “He was an astronomer and mathematician who suggested that the sun and not the earth was at the center of the universe.”

“Right,” Babs says, sipping what to Auston looks like his fourth cup of coffee. “The Copernican Revolution. It changed the history of science.”

“Wow,” Mitch reads on. “It’s pretty cool stuff, guys. You’re named after a very cool dude, Star.”

“ _Beep,_ ” Star agrees, before timidly stealing a piece of bacon from Mitch’s plate.

“Who gave you that name?” Zach asks curiously.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star says, pointing at himself.

“How the fuck did you come up with that?” Willy asks incredulous.

“Willy!” Auston, Mitch and Babs yell at the same time.

Jasper finds this hilarious and, after he explains the problem to Star, so does the little guy.

“Great,” Willy mutters, stuffing his mouth with a piece of toast, “they’re already ganging up on me.”

“You will continue to be the super-cool uncle, Willy,” Auston consoles him. “I wouldn't worry too much.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper agrees, before jumping from Mitch’s bed to Willy’s knee and going up to snuggle with him.

“ _Beep_?” Star asks, looking at Auston. He’s pointing at some of the bacon Auston didn't finish.

“You like it?” Auston asks. “Here, have more. I am done with it,” he adds with a smile.

Star hasn't been moving around much, but now he gets up tentatively and he tests his leg.

“I can …” Auston begins, but Babs stops him.

“Let him try it out. We need to know the extent of the damage.”

Auston notices Jasper immediately turning his attention back to Star, although he doesn't leave Willy’s shoulder.

Star, for his part, stretches his right leg and then his left leg before beginning to make his way towards Auston’s plate. His expression doesn't change, and after a moment, it’s clear that, even if he’s being cautious, he can put his weight on both legs and move properly.

“Okay?” Auston asks once Star has grabbed a piece of bacon.

“ _Beep,_ ” Star nods, seemingly about the goodness of the bacon and of his leg.

Auston hears everyone exhales in relief, before Willy and Zach go back to eating their own breakfast and Babs to drinking his coffee.

“So you feel a bit better, Star? Is Star okay, or you’d rather we call you Copernicus?” Mitch asks solicitous.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star nods at both question.

“Star it is, then,” Mitch agrees happily. “Copernicus for important occasions.”

Auston feels himself finally relax for the first time since Zach called them last night.

“Great,” Babs comments. “I would like to take another look at the wound to see if it’s healing properly, if that’s okay with you.”

Star looks at Jasper, who’s still sitting on Willy’s shoulder, getting fed grapes like he’s a Roman emperor. Auston should really put his foot down about these things sometimes before the new century comes along.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says, and then begins a long-winded explanation that seems to put Star sufficiently at ease.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star accepts Babs offer, before going back to munching on Auston’s bacon.

Auston cannot get over how tiny the little dude is. He just hopes they’re not going to squash him or something.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Mitch says, as always attuned to Auston’s moods and emotions.

“It’s just so fucking scary, Mitchy,” Auston whispers.

“I know,” Mitch agrees, leaning against Auston and looking down at Star. “But we’ve got this.”

Auston has learned to trust Mitch’s instincts on all dragon-related matters, so he nods before looking up at Jasper, who’s looking back encouragingly.

They got this.

***

**Mitch**

While Babs and Auston are in bathroom taking a second look at Star’s wound under Jasper’s strict supervision, Mitch gathers up all of their breakfast leftover.

Zach and Willy are still sitting on Auston’s bed, and Zach is intent on researching reptile wounds while Willy looks up dragons again.

“Didn't help the first time,” Mitch comments once he’s put the trays outside his and Auston’s room.

“One is a coincidence, two is a pattern,” Willy points out.

“Yeah,” Mitch exhales. He’s been thinking about it as well.

“I think we can safely rule out a lab experiment gone wrong,” Zach says without looking up from his phone.

“Are you sure?” Mitch says. It doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibilities. After all, they found both dragons in America and everyone knows its government has shady sectors.

“Somehow, I don't think humans have the mental acuity to come up with something so perfect,” Zach observes.

“Didn't they just clone monkeys, though?” Willy asks.

“Yeah, but cloning is different from creating a whole new species,” Zach points out. “This is way too much Jurassic Park and we don't have the technology to do something like this.”

“Allegedly,” Mitch says.

“Allegedly,” Zach concurs.

“So what?” Willy interjects. “There is a secret dragon world somewhere on earth from which, on occasion, dragons pop out?”

“One wonders,” Babs says, exiting the bathroom.

Mitch looks at him and sees Jasper on his shoulder. Star, it seems, has deemed Auston acceptable and he’s sitting on his head, of all places. Auston looks like he’s afraid to move.

“This is weird, Coach,” Willy insists.

“Because it wasn't when we found Jasper?” Auston asks, leaning against the wall and arching his eyebrows.

“No help from you guys, eh?” Babs asks.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper shrugs.

They’ve gone over this several times. Jasper has only ever known Phoenix, Arizona, he doesn't remember a time when he wasn't there, he never met someone like him before, and he doesn't know where he was before he got to the city.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star adds. “ _Beep, beep, beep._ ”

“What’s that, buddy?” Mitch asks gently.

“ _Cheep, cheep, cheep_ ,” Jasper translates.

After some juggling, a bit of charades and a lot of questions from Zach, they discover that Star has always been in Newark. He doesn't remember for how long, but he saw at least two winters. Apparently he gravitated around the campus of Rutgers University, because the students there are wealthy, there are a lot of them and each of them has ample access to food they discard. Star could scavenger happily without been noticed. That’s also where he heard about Copernicus and decided he liked the name. It seems that dragons do name themselves, after all.

Mitch is impressed by Star’s entrepreneurial skills and he tells him so.

Star hides in Auston’s hair, embarrassed. It’s so fucking cute, not to mention hilarious. It’s also nice to see that Star’s personality is so different from Jasper’s.

“Well,” Babs says. “We’re just glad we could help you.”

“ _Beep,_ ” Star replies, which is clearly a ‘Me, too.’

“So,” Willy begins, pretending to look like he doesn't have a care in the world. “What are your thoughts about Canada, Star?”

“Willy!” Zach, Mitch and Auston say at the same time.

“What?” Willy defends himself. “It’s not like we’re all not thinking it. He’s coming with us, right? Coach?” Willy adds, turning towards Babs.

Mitch groans, but says nothing.

“We’re not leaving him in this shithole of a place,” Willy says adamantly, when nobody replies to his query.

“Maybe he likes it,” Auston observes serenely, though Mitch can tell that he is making fun of Willy.

“Maybe he doesn't,” Willy insists. “It’s fucking Newark. There is nothing to like about this place.”

“I am telling Hallsy when we see him tonight,” Mitch threatens.

“Like he doesn't agree,” Willy scoffs. “Though I suppose it’s an improvement on Edmonton.”

“Your European elitism is showing, Willy,” Zach points out, poking Willy in the side.

“Whatever. You’re coming with us, right, Star?”

“ _Beep?_ ” Star replies, looking down at Auston.

It looks to Mitch like Star has already decided who’s going to be his favorite. Mitch can’t but approve of his choice. Auston’s Mitch’s favorite, too.

“Are you asking me, buddy?” Auston says, picking Star up gently and holding him in his hand. “We’d be happy to have you, of course,” he tells him with a smile. “And we have a ton of friends that are going to be delighted to meet you. But we’ll respect whatever decision you want to make.”

At that point, Jasper _shrieks_ , exactly like he did that first night, when he discovered Auston and Mitch were not going to cuddle around him in the same bed as he expected.

“Jasper,” Mitch says warningly.

The second shriek is even louder than the first. Jasper is not in the habit of throwing hissy fits, but this is one, and it’s not pretty.

Star looks terrified and curls up in Auston’s hand.

“Jasper, you’re scaring Star,” Mitch says. “If this is your way of letting him know you want him to come with us, you should use your inside voice.”

Jasper shuts up at that and looks at Star, who looks back timidly.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper apologizes. Then, he goes up to Auston and manages to reach Star, curling around him protectively.

“ _Beep,_ ” Star responds, nuzzling into Jasper’s bigger body.

Auston looks down into his hand, before looking up.

“Mitch,” he whispers, like everything is finally hitting him like a ton of brick. “There are two of them.”

Willy snorts, but Zach elbows him, so he shuts up quite fast.

“So, you’re good coming with us?” Babs, who’s been silent during the exchange, asks. “Mitch and Auston are pretty awesome dragon-caretakers, and Zach and Willy are more than adequate too, or so Jasper tells me.”

Willy sputters at the ‘more than adequate’ label, while Mitch shakes his head amused.

“We should probably cut him some slack, Coach,” he tells Babs. “He did find us another treasure.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper objects.

“Yes, you did, too,” Auston assures him, raising his hand and dropping a kiss on Jasper’s head.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star comments shyly, clearly surprised and embarrassed at being called a treasure.

Willy takes it as agreement that Star is going to move to Canada and hugs Zach, who hugs him back, before making sure, “So you’re coming with us?”

“ _Beep,_ ” Star agrees happily, licking Jasper’s snout.

_“Beep, beep, beep_?” he then asks, wrapping himself around Jasper as much as he can considering his tiny body. Mitch’s heart melts.

“Of course you can stay with Jasper,” Auston smiles. “He lives with us, but he spends a lot of time with Willy and Zach.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper points out.

“And Babs,” Mitch laughs, sending an apologetic glance at Coach. “You’re going to have to invite them over, Coach.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Babs readily agrees. “Now,” he continues, “We need to get ready for practice, guys. So, Jasper, do you think you can supervise Star at the rink while we’re on the ice? I would rather you came with us.”

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper assures him, wagging his tail.

“Good,” Babs says, patting him, and then Star, on the head. “No wondering around, however, okay?” he warns them serious. “You stick to Mitch’s bag until we’re back.”

Jasper nods seriously and, when Star notices this, he, too, nods equally serious.

“Good boys,” Babs praises them. “Nine o’clock is still the time we leave, boys, so get ready and let’s get this show on the road.”

After that, Babs leaves and so do Willy and Zach, although they fuss charmingly over both Jasper and Star for five minutes before Auston kicks them out.

Once he’s finally alone with Auston, Mitch goes up to him and, mindful of the fact that he’s still holding two dragons in the palm of his hands, plants a kiss on his mouth.

“What was that for?” Auston asks dazed.

“I love you,” Mitch smiles up at him happily.

Auston smiles back. “I love you, too,” he says.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper says.

“Yes, buddy,” Mitch replies. “You, too. I am so proud of you, Jasper,” Mitch adds. He’s going to repeat it until he’s blue in the face. “You did great and Star, here, looks just fine.”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star says. He is clearly feeling better, because he’s moving with ease and he’s not favoring his left leg at all.

“We’ve got about an hour to kill before we have to leave,” Mitch explains. “Why don’t you guys get some rest while Auston and I shower and get ready?”

“Shower?” Auston mouths perplexed, even as he drops Jasper and Star gently on his bed.

Mitch makes sure the two dragons are sufficiently entertained before he drags Auston to the bathroom and closes the door.

“I mean,” Auston says flustered, “I am not sure how I feel about this, especially now that we’ve got two in the other room.”

Mitch rolls his eyes as he starts undressing. “Forget sex, for now, Matts,” he says, starting the shower. “I just want to talk without Jasper overhearing us.”

“Oh,” Auston says, blushing.

Firsts overall, Mitch muses as he gets into the shower. No practical sense whatsoever. Davo is the same.

“Are you okay with taking Star in, too, Matty?” Mitch asks once they’re both in the shower and lathered with soap.

“Of course I am okay,” Auston exclaims, suddenly looking defensive. “Who else is going to take him in?”

“Well,” Mitch says with a mischievous smile, “technically Willy found him.”

“Technically Jasper found him,” Auston points out. “And Willy didn't even fight us over that. Plus, good luck separating those two,” Auston adds, referring to the two dragons, who are hopefully not tearing the room apart.

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure,” Mitch explains, rinsing his hair.

“We definitely need to look into that house, now,” Auston observes, moving Mitch out of the way so he can rinse as well. “And we are going to have to come back here to explore Newark more.”

“I think we’re going to have to think in bigger terms than just Arizona and New Jersey, Auston,” Mitch says, thinking about the conversation they had earlier. “Two dragons is a lot of dragons.”

“Yeah,” Auston says. “I guess Lou and Shanny are going to have to be told now.”

“Maybe it’s a Leaf thing,” Mitch suggests, excited.

“Maybe,” Auston smiles. Then he turns serious. “He’s so tiny, Mitch. And he’s at least two years old. I worry I am going to completely flatten him if I am not careful.”

“Mmm,” Mitch says. He knows Auston worries about size: about Mitch’s, Jasper’s and his own, because he’s so much bigger than all of them. Star, for all that he’s clearly strong and determined, is even tinier than Jasper. No wonders Auston’s freaked out about hurting him.

“I don't think you have anything to worry about,” Mitch tries to reassure him after he’s gotten out of the shower. “He seems to be very good at caring for himself and Jasper is not going to let him out of his sight.”

Auston exhales as he dries himself up, before looking at Mitch again, eyes wide.

“Two, Mitchy,” he repeats. “We’ve got two.”

Mitch laughs, kisses him again, and lets him worry about that while he returns to the room to change.

Practice goes smoothly and Jasper and Star spend it napping in Mitch’s bag, as Jasper often does.

Mo and Patty ask Auston a million questions about what the hell happened, but Auston shuts them up and says, “When we get back to Toronto.”

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is about Jasper, but the team is pretty good about keeping their mouth shut—especially around Tomáš, who hasn't been told about Jasper, yet.

It’s kind of a shitty thing to do, Mitch sometimes thinks, but the guy just arrived on the team, it’s unclear how long he’s going to stick around, and Auston is super-protective about Jasper. Plus, it’s impossible to overcome a life-long rivalry in under two months. As much as nobody doubts Plekanac’s professionalism, the guy is dealing with heavy shit, what with playing with a major divisional rival after more than fifteen years in Montreal. Adding a mythical creature to the mix didn't seem like a good idea.

The rest of the day goes pretty fast, considering that the night had seemed eternal. After a rushed lunch, the team goes back to the hotel for a nap. Willy manages to convince Zach and Jasper that it’d be a great idea if they all napped together, so Mitch falls asleep at the sound of three snoring teammates, instead of one.

Star seems a bit overwhelmed by the number of people constantly surrounding him, so he takes refuge on Auston’s head and doesn't let go until Auston lays down on a pillow and falls asleep.

The game goes considerably well, given the fact that the top line is a bit less effective than usual. Not like Mitch can cast stones, since his legs feel like lead. They manage to get a win, however, which is a lovely welcoming gift for Star.

Jasper, Mitch has learned, has been getting Star up to speed about Mitch, Auston, the Leafs, and their life in Toronto. From what Mitch has observed, Star is mostly quiet, but sometimes he asks questions until he gets the explanation he wants.

Once they’re at the airport, the whole 'smuggling two dragons into Canada' gets dumped on Babs, who takes care of everything with an aplomb Mitch frankly envies him.

“One wonders what he brought back from international tourneys, over the years,” Willy whispers in Mitch’s ear as they get on the plane.

“Willy!” Zach and Auston hiss, for what feels like the twentieth time in twenty-four hours. Mitch giggles, however, because one does wonder.

It’s a short flight and, for security reasons, Jasper and Star spend it hidden in Babs’ bag. Once they’ve made it through Immigration and Customs at Pearson, however, Jasper demands to be returned to his parents. Mitch can hear him a mile away.

“You should be grateful to Coach, Jasper,” Mitch tickles him under the snout once Jasper jumps from Babs’ shoulder to his. “If it weren’t for him, you would have been stuck at home.”

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper thanks Babs.

“I wish I could say any time, buddy,” Babs says. “But let’s not do this again too soon, alright?”

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper sort-of-agrees.

“Okay,” Babs says, looking at Mitch and Auston. “You guys take the day off tomorrow. Willy, Zach, you, too,” he adds. “Take care of Star, and keep his wound clear. It’s healing fine,”—Coach had taken another look before the game—“and there shouldn't be any complications, but call me if you need me.”

“We’re gonna help,” Willy says, like Mitch had any doubts.

“You guys should just come over now,” Auston suggests resigned. “That way, I don't have to get up at fuck o’clock in the morning to open the door and let you in. Sorry, Coach.”

“You’re fine,” Babs says. “Star,” he then adds, looking at the little dude, who’s sitting on Auston’s shoulder, partially under his scarf. “I will see you in a couple of days, okay?”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star nods tentatively.

“If you want me to come over, let the guys know. Otherwise, listen to them and to Jasper and you’re going to be fine.”

“ _Beep?”_ Star asks, pointing at the rest of the team, whom he can see in the distance.

“Yeah, you’ll meet them on Saturday morning,” Babs reassures him. “Some of them probably sooner,” he adds, smirking at Willy and Auston.

“Probably,” Willy admits shamelessly.

Mitch honestly doesn't know how Zach is not jealous of Willy’s relationship with Kappy. Though, Mitch himself is not jealous of Auston’s friendship with Freddie, so there is that.

“Okay, boys. Go home, get some sleep, take care of the kids and I will see you at practice on Saturday,” Babs says, before turning to go to his car.

“Well,” Mitch says, smiling at Star encouragingly. “Let’s get you home, what do you think?”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star agrees, his ears twitching. Not the ringing endorsement they’re used to get from Jasper, but Mitch supposes that’s the reality of having two different kids.

_Oh, god_ , he thinks, finally connecting the dots with what Auston has been blabbing about. It’s not that there _is_ two of them. It’s that they now _have_ two of them.

“We got this,” he mutters under his breath.

“We do, Mouse,” Auston says, grabbing his hand.

***

**Zach**

Zach wakes up with a mouth full of Willy’s hair and his body completely squeezed by the octopus his boyfriend becomes when asleep.

The sun is bright in the sky, as far as Zach can tell, and a glance at his phone tells him it’s past ten. Thank the hockey gods Babs excused them for the day.

“Wiily, wake up,” Zach says.

“Mmph,” Willy says, turning around and burrowing his head under his pillow.

“Come on,” Zach plays his trump card, “don't you want to see how Star is doing?”

“Star!” Willy yells, waking up in an instant. “Come on, Zach,” he adds, stumbling out of the bed and into a pair of sweat pants and a Henley.

Zach laughs softly, but follows his boyfriend out of the guestroom after a short pit stop in the bathroom.

In the kitchen, Mitch is preparing pancakes while Auston is showing Star the pencils Jasper likes to draw with.

Jasper is perched on Mitch’s shoulder, seemingly directing him on how to make the perfect pancake.

“ _Cheep,_ ” he exclaims when he sees Zach, and calls him over insistently.

Mitch turns and smiles.

“Thank god,” he says. “He’s been asking me to wake you up because your pancakes are so much better than mine.”

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper confirms, and Zach laughs.

“Let me take over, then,” he says.

“Please, do,” Mitch agrees, passing him spatulas and leaning in so that Jasper can jump on Zach’s shoulder.

“How are you doing, Star?” Zach hears Willy ask from the kitchen table.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star replies softly.

Zach would be worried about how shy Star seems, but he supposes he should not expect all dragons to be like Jasper. As long as Star is happy, it doesn't really matter whether he’s an introvert.

“He is great,” Auston explains. “He slept through the night and he loves having the litter box.”

“It’s pretty neat, right?” Zach says, looking at Star, who nods seriously.

“Well, you’re going to see a lot of neat things,” Zach continues while flipping the pancakes Mitch started cooking and moving to get others ready.

“ _Beep,”_ Star answers, ears twitching in agreement. It’s a cute little quirk of his, one Zach noticed last night, too. It’s different from Jasper’s mannerisms and the college graduate in Zach wants to investigate the matter. Something for the future, he’s sure.

“How do you like the coloring pencils?” Willy asks.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star begins, before launching in a long-winded explanation that leaves Willy totally charmed and Zach even happier. Apparently, Star shares with Jasper a love for colors worthy of European fashion trends. Kappy is going to be so happy. Speaking of which.

“Have you guys called someone?”

“Freddie, Brownie and Kappy are coming over,” Mitch explains bringing Zach a cup of coffee he’s finally prepared. “We asked Star, and he said three new people is enough.”

“There was a lot of miming involved,” Matts admits blushing.

Jasper trills, clearly amused by the spectacle that Matty doing charades must have been.

“You’ll like them,” Zach tells Star. “Kappy is a bit crazy, but good crazy, like Willy. Freddie is just a big teddy bear, so do not let his freakish stare put you off. And Brownie is going to love you. He’s super-nice and a great friend.”

“ _Cheep,_ ” Jasper nods.

“ _Beep_ ,” Star replies.

“No alcohol, however, are we clear on that, Jasper?” Auston puts down the law.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Willy says, sipping his coffee and rolling his eyes at the same time. “It was once and he’s never done it again.”

“Star hasn't met him yet,” Matty points out.

“Star is going to love, him,” Willy replies adamantly. “You’ll see, Star. Kappy is awesome. Not as awesome as me, but awesome nonetheless.”

“Nobody is as awesome as you,” Zach says, blowing Willy a kiss and winking him—something he’s confortable doing only among these three people. And two dragons, apparently.

“Okay,” Mitch says. “Let’s not scar the kids for life. Star, these are pancakes. They’re sweet and they’re very good. They come in different flavors and we went traditional this time. Try some and let us know what you think.”

Star sniffs the pancakes, takes a tentative lick and widens his turquoise eyes in clear delight.

“ _Beep,_ ” he says ecstatic.

“Guess he never had them before, eh?” Zach tells Mitch.

“I figured it was a safe bet,” Mitch shrugs. “Not your typical trash-can food, even on a college campus.”

Zach nods, trying not to think about what Jasper and Star had to do to survive before Mitch and Willy rescued them. Zach spends as little time as humanly possible pondering Jasper’s life before they met him—his sanity is at stake. Still, now that there are two dragons, and not one, he’s even more concerned. Because what if there are more, out there, fending for themselves without knowing life can be so much better? It doesn't even bear thinking about.

Jasper and Star polish off their pancakes while Zach prepares more for the guys and himself.

By the time Freddie, Brownie and Kappy arrive, breakfast is over. Auston has checked and redressed Star’s wound, Jasper has introduced Star to the joys of bathing in the sink—gauze covered by tape—and the kitchen is spotless, compliments of Willy. Even the living room is nicely free from the chaos that comes with raising a dragon. Zach is impressed—not that he’s one to cast stones. His apartment is a mess during the season.

Star is out of sight, hidden in Auston’s front pocket, while Willy explains to Freddie, Brownie and Kappy their night adventures.

“You lost Jasper?” Freddie inquires early on, looking at Willy like Death must look at her latest victim.

“For the last time,” Willy huffs, “I did not lose Jasper. Buddy, help me out here, please. Otherwise Matty is going to need a new winger.”

“I am happy to volunteer,” Brownie says, winking at Zach, who bursts out laughing.

“He’s a right winger, too, so it’s perfect,” Zach says.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, Zach,” Willy whines.

“ _Cheep_ ,” Jasper comes to the rescue, reassuring everyone present that Willy had indeed not lost him.

“Okay, fine,” Freddie concedes. “I guess he can live. For now.”

“Fuck off,” Willy says, and slumps against Kappy, who side-hugs him while rolling his eyes in Zach’s direction. Zach sympathizes. William Nylander is a full-time job.

“So,” Brownie says from the floor, where he’s sitting next to Mitch, “what happened next? What was the treasure Jasper’s so excited about?”

Zach sees Auston whisper something to Star, who peaks out of his t-shirt pocket and looks around carefully.

“ _Beep_ ,” he says, a ‘Hello’ if Zach ever heard one.

“Oh my god,” Brownie says, jaw dropping.

“Oh my god,” Kappy shrieks, so loud that Willy recoils and cuddles into Zach instead.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Freddie says, looking at Auston.

“Yeah,” Auston smiles, passing a hand through his hair. “We are thinking of opening a kindergarten. Dragon-garten?”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star says, and since nobody is moving the conversation forward, Zach takes the reins of the situation.

“Freddie, Brownie, Kappy, this is Star. Well, his name is Copernicus, but he graciously allows us to call him Star. He’s originally from Newark, New Jersey, he’s at least two years old, and he’s Jasper’s BFF.”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star agrees, followed promptly by Jasper’s usual chirp.

“What are you guys? Dragon-nip or something?” Kappy asks. “Though, pleasure to meet you, dude. You are awesome.”

Zach shakes his head. In the meantime, Star makes his way out of Auston’s pocket and onto his leg, before looking at Freddie and Brownie intently.

“ _Beep_ ,” he says.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Brownie replies excitedly. He doesn't get any closer, however, clearly aware that Star is more easily spooked than Jasper.

“A dragon-garten is a good idea, Matty,” Freddie smiles. “Welcome to Toronto, buddy,” he then tells Star. “You’re going to love it here.”

“ _Beep_ ,” Star seems to agree. Then, he slowly makes his rounds, sniffing Kappy first, since he’s the closest, and then Brownie and Freddie, who all sit still and let him explore to his heart content.

“Babs already knows,” Zach informs them. “He helped us with Star’s wound.”

“I was about to ask,” Brownie says, hiding a wince.

“He’s fine,” Auston intervenes. “The gash is healing nicely and there are no signs of infection when I checked earlier. By the way,” he adds, turning towards Zach. “He does run cold, so Coach was right about that.”

“Mmm,” Zach ponders. He really needs to start making a database on how Jasper and Star compare and contrast. It might help both of them in the future.

“Okay, tell me the story again?” Freddie says, once Star is done sniffing him and has returned to his preferred position on Auston’s head.

Zach decides to offer his own, less dramatic, version of events—he’s sure Freddie is going to appreciate his approach more than Willy’s—while Mitch gets some snacks and drinks for everyone. Jasper promptly falls asleep on Mitch’s shoulder halfway through the second retelling, with Star not far behind, still nested on Auston’s head.

As Brownie inquires about Star’s opinions in regards to chamomile, and Kappy demands to know if anyone has thought about offering him some beer—and here Freddie’s murderous look is a sight to behold—Zach is finally hit by the same revelation Auston and Mitch just twenty-four hours ago.

_There is two of them, now_ , he thinks.

Luckily, there is an entire team of Leafs.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I need to apologize for this, because it's very self-indulgent. Still, I hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
